SS. Edward & Lucy Parish Clustered with St. Helen Church Rev. John T. Burkley, Pastor Websites: * Pro-Life:

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1 SS. Edward & Lucy Parish Clustered with St. Helen Church Rev. John T. Burkley, Pastor Websites: * Pro-Life: REGISTRATION: Call the office or download a form at P.O. Box 709, Center St. Parkman, Ohio ** P.O. Box 98, East High St. Middlefield, Ohio Karen Thrasher, Business Manager * Sister Rosemary Janezic, Director of Religious Education Office: (440) kt@simcon.net Sister Rosemary sisterrose@simcon.net Masses: Saturday Vigil: 5:00pm-St. Edward 6:30pm-St. Lucy and Sunday: 8:30am-St. Edward 10:30am-St. Lucy Confessions: Saturday at 4:15-5:00pm-St. Edward 7:15pm-St. Lucy Weekday Mass: Monday, 6:00pm and Tuesday through Friday, 8:00am-St. Edward Chapel Holydays: Vigil Mass 6:30pm-St. Edward Holyday: 9:00am-St. Edward 6:30pm-St. Lucy OUR MISSION The vibrant Catholic community of SS. Edward and Lucy teaches, proclaims and lives the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do so through the celebration of the Eucharist, the administration of the sacraments and in loving and merciful service to all.

2 Thanks to all who participated in last week s Catholic Charities Appeal. Many of us received mailings in past weeks and have already made a pledge and commitment to support the important work we do through our Catholic Charities. People in need of help need our presence regularly if they are to get a hand up and the many other ways Catholic Charities answers our call to practice the Spiritual and Corporal works of Mercy. As a diocese we have banded together for over 100 years to meet this challenge. Catholic Charities helps find job training and family counseling.last Saturday, I went to help with Confessions at St. Mary in Chardon for their retreat day. They had a vibrant team that made the day possible with their commitment to planning and executing an important parish function. It was a mixed group that took advantage of the opportunity for spiritual growth. We have a similar group, admittedly smaller, which will be meeting to help our parish experience a special retreat day during Lent. Good things don t happen without people being dedicated to meeting and planning. Our parish might be smaller in numbers, but strong in dedication. Pray...We received notice of a special diocesan summer institute called Tolle Lege. Visit tollelegecamp.com. It s called a Catholic intellectual and cultural camp for teens. There are two sessions; June and June It s for confirmed teens in high school. Interested? Call for more information.men! HOLD THE DATE! Catholic Men s Fellowship of Northeast Ohio is holding the 19th annual Answer the Call at the Holiday Inn on Rockside Road in Independence on Saturday, March 23. The theme is Developing Youth Relationship with Christ. Visit cmfneo.com for more information.last Sunday s Generation of Faith went well, I think. We are grateful to Sister Rosemary, all our teacher, Lou Bodnar, Scott Wojtasik and all who make GOF possible and hopefully effective as we evangelize one another. I was down to the diocese the other day to talk to Bishop Perez and I mentioned that we are searching for a new Director of Religious Education because Sister Rosemary is retiring as DRE this year. Bishop Perez linked me up with the Religious Education Department...For your information, I have posted the original floor plan for St. Lucy on the board in the narthex. It s hard to imagine that we had so much contained in such a small area. It helps us appreciate how far we have come and what the sacrifice of people here have made possible...saturday is our day at St. Vincent de Paul in Warren again. Come experience a real community at work.lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 6. Start thinking about what penance you and your family will undertake this year. It s all about spiritual growth with more prayer and penance. We will have the rice bowls again this year.. It s A Matter of Life... Often Pro Death hypocrites, people who support unfettered abortion, wag their fingers at ProLifers who utilize shocking images of abortion victims when they educate about the reality of the ghoulish procedure. They feign outrage at the effect seeing the pictures will have upon children. However, children are not traumatized by graphic images of abortion victims. They are traumatized by the thought that adults might murder a child in this manner. If a thing is so unthinkable that we should not even see pictures of it, then we should not be doing it. Your reward will be great in heaven If I asked you: Would you rather be rich or poor? Laugh or cry? Have a full stomach or an empty one? Be well though of, or have a bad reputation? You know what you would say. Most of us agree with the man who said: I ve been rich ad I ve been poor, and, believe me, rich is better. So what is Jesus talking about? He s not saying that if you re unhappy now you ll be happy in heaven. It s not that simple. There is no evil in riches or contentment or comfort. Morally speaking, they are neither good nor bad. The same goes for poverty, grief, and suffering; they are no guarantee of virtue. There have been rich saints and poor villains. The problem with riches is that they are a temptation. They can lull us into a false sense of self-sufficiency, so that we think we don t need anybody, including God. St. Oscar Romero, said, Woe to anyone who touches wealth; it is like a high-tension wire that burns you. The saint goes for suffering. Look at your own life. What are you most proud of? What did suffering and trials do for you? You probably know the wisdom of the saying, Don t pray for an easy life; pray to be a strong person. We see this as parents who bring up children denying them nothing and never challenging them sell them short. Does God send us trials to test us? No, the way we deal with them has a lot to do with the person we become. Jesus assures us that in his plan for us there is much more to life than making a living, more than a full stomach, more than a comfortable lifestyle. That s what makes a good human being. (James DiGiacomo, SJ)

3 Saturday, February 16 Sunday Vigil 5:00pm Ed Bugajski / wife, Joanne 6:30pm Ray Mazzone, Sr. / Barb Sunday, February 17 6th Sunday Ordinary Time 8:30am John DeBon / mom, Donna 10:30am Joan Komar / Mary Kothera Monday, February 18 Weekday 6:00pm Margaret Paletta / M/M Mark Tetzlaf Tuesday, February 19 Weekday 8:00am H&B Stephanie Arnold / Sue Mullett Wednesday, February 20 Weekday 8:00am Christine Fabian / Judy Chilkowski Thursday, February 21 St Peter Damian 8:00am Charlie Wanyek / Joanne Bugajski Friday, February 22 Weekday 8:00am James Sitko / Karen & Bill Saturday, February 23 Sunday Vigil 5:00pm Bob & Ken Leonard / Carol, wife & mother 6:30pm Tony Vidmar/Gerry & Linda Fuduric Sunday, February 24 7th Sunday Ordinary Time 8:30am Lloyd Williams / M/M Bob Jagoda 10:30am Frank & Regina Fritz / daughter, Adrienne St. Edward St. Lucy Regular: $ (86) $ (70) Regular 2018: $ (117) $ (66) Parking Lot pledge: xxxxx Restricted: St. Vincent: Heat: Religious Ed.: Capital Fund: Latin America: Children: 7.00 (4) 4.50 (3) Sunday: Children s Liturgy of the Word Weekend: St. Vincent Food Collection Monday: 10:00am-6:00pm Adoration in the Chapel 6:00pm Mass & Rosary in the Chapel Tuesday: 9:45am Briar Hill Bingo 10:00am Rosary Group The Pines Wednesday: 3:00pm Briar Hill Mass 7:00pm Bible Study E Thursday: 10:00am Bible Study E Noon-6pm Adoration L 1:00pm Rosary Making 7:00pm Geauga Co. Jail Ministry Saturday: Sunday: St. Vincent Food Kitchen in Warren 9:00am Sacramental Classes L ST. WILLIAM CHURCH, CHAMPION 33RD ANNUAL Fish Dinners. Every Friday March 1 to April 12. 4:00pm to 700pm. Adults $12. New! Haluski Diner $10. Choice of sides. Hourly drawings 5-6-7pm. Patronize our neighbor! PARISH SURVEY RESULTS We have finally received the results of the parish survey we took a few months ago. It will first be presented to the Parish Pastoral Council. They are the parish group entrusted with the spiritual development of our parish. We will be looking at the composite of your thoughts and opinions and discover areas of growth and development. At the last PPC meeting Sharon Seliskar was again nominated as chairperson and Lou Bodnar elected vice -chairperson. We are grateful for their leadership. CATHOLIC EDUCATION TUITION ASSISTANCE Happily, we have two more families that will join our program the next school year. The Finance Committee continues to study improvements and simplification to our CETAP program. Is a Catholic school education in your child s future? It is not impossible. END OF AN ERA For the past 16+ years we have enjoyed the luxury of a Catholic Reading Rack. It has moved from St. Edward to St. Lucy and back. The Paulist Press book and magazine program has been terminated, so we will no longer have easy access to good, timely Catholic reading. Unfortunately we did not make good use of the resource for personal, spiritual reading. We will try to carry some of the periodicals directly now. LENTEN DISCUSSION GROUPS? Is there an appetite for discussion groups during Lent as we had a few years ago? If there is enough response we will put a good program together again. It s a good Lenten observance. MEN S FELLOWSHIP We seem to have reached a point where a group of leadership needs to be formed to plot the future of the men s events. We will be scheduling a formation meeting in a few weeks to put the men s group on a more permanent basis. KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS PREGNANT? SCARED? NEEDS HELP? CALL HOURS SS. EDWARD & LUCY PRAYER LINE: Call Rebecca or prayer request to Rebbanne@gmail.com.

4 TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION In recent years, there has been remarkable progress in drawing persons with disabilities into full celebration. Now it is generally accepted that worship places need accommodations such as ramps or elevators, large-print materials for those who are sight-impaired, and perhaps even an assisted hearing system or signing in American Sign Language. American Sign Language is not merely English translated into movement, but a distinct language with its own grammar, syntax (word order), and vocabulary. For this reason, the American Catholic bishops have approved American Sign Language (ASL) as an official language of the liturgy. Celebrating liturgy in our own language (the vernacular) means that liturgy must be accessible to all languages and cultures. The fact that Mass is celebrated this weekend in some places in total silence, but with the full participation of deaf people praising God in the movements of their hands, and sometimes even with a priest who is deaf, is nothing less than the Church being faithful to the image of Jesus, who made the deaf hear and the mute speak. Remember too that deafness is an invisible disability, and that there may well be people in your parish who are quietly yearning for Mass to be signed for them in ASL. Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. BLESSED When we think of the word Beatitude we think of today s discourse from Luke s Gospel, or the more familiar one from Matthew (which begins Blessed are the poor in spirit... ). Actually, beatitudes occur throughout the prophets and Gospels. Today in Jeremiah (with an echo in the psalm) we hear, Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord (Jeremiah 17:7). Following his resurrection in John s Gospel, Christ proclaims, Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed (John 20:29). The evangelists placed these sayings throughout the Gospels as short reminders about the characteristics that one will find in a follower of Christ, characteristics that will help spread the Good News in this life and lead to eternal blessings in the next. In Latin, the saints are called the Beati, the Blessed, for they are the ones who lived the blessed life as described by Jesus throughout the Gospels. How blest are we, when we also strive to make our own days a living beatitude! Copyright J. S. Paluch Co., Inc. NOT QUITE OLD ENOUGH YET I had a meeting with Bishop Perez last Monday afternoon (at his invitation). He remarked that I will be turning 75 this year; the usual age of retirement in our diocese. (He had asked me to bring him a letter of resignation is accordance with Canon (church) Law to put in my file.) After some discussion, I told him I didn t think retirement is a good idea at this time. After discussing health, etc., he decided I could remain here another year and then, after that, if possible, on a year-by-year basis. That is the procedure the diocese follows. Retirement used to be 65, then 70 and finally 75. Pray that more of our young men look at the priesthood as a possible vocation, a way of life for them. The entire parish community thanks you, Father John for wanting to be with us another year. You are AWESOME! ALATEIA.COM A recent piece on alateia.com talked about the health benefits on church attendance. There are five surprising improvements you might experience in a few areas of your life if you participate in Mass regularly. Instead of reaching for the Ambien, you might think about incorporating daily Mass into your routine. To begin with, the study notes that more religious adults have healthier sleep outcomes. Religious involvement can lessen mental, chemical and physiological associated with distress, substance use, and stress exposure. There is also less risk of depression and suicide with Mass attendance. In a 2016 JAMA study, women who attended a religious service once a week were five times less likely to commit suicide; (Catholic women were seven times less likely.) Then, the couple that prays together does really more often stay together. Couples who attend Mass together report significantly higher relationship quality than those who did not. According to the Marriage and Religion Research Institute, adults 18 to 59 who worshiped weekly were most likely to report a healthier and more enjoyable sex life. A 2016 JAMA study shows that women who attended church more than once a week had a 33% lower risk of dying. They note that religion and spirituality may be an underappreciated resource that doctors could explore with their patients. A 1998 study found that religiously active older adults tend to have lower blood pressure. This included Mass or Services, praying, Bible Study. Interestingly, those who only watched religious programming actually had higher blood pressures. REMEMBER BIBLE St. Edward Wednesdays 7:00pm, Thursdays 10:00am ROSE HALL AND WINCA HALL RENTALS: CALL THE OFFICE

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